


Sunburst

by greygerbil



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Desperation, Heat Sex, M/M, first time sleeping together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:22:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24683032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greygerbil/pseuds/greygerbil
Summary: Something is wrong with Evfra and Jaal is brave enough to ask what's going on.
Relationships: Jaal Ama Darav/Evfra de Tershaav
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49
Collections: Heat Fic Summer 2020





	Sunburst

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tentacledicks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tentacledicks/gifts).



“Is the air conditioning broken?”

Evfra glanced up from the screen he had been staring at, throwing an exasperated look at Jaal and Avila, who stood over schematics from the Voeld Resistance base at the console next to him.

“I don’t feel hot,” Jaal answered.

“Of course _you_ don’t! You’re from the south of Havarl, what even feels hot to you?” Avila told Jaal with a grin, but hesitated. “I don’t think it’s that warm, either, though.”

Jaal looked over at Evfra. He was blushing dark blue and sweat had gathered at the base of his neck. At his gaze, Evfra shrugged his shoulders with a frown and turned back to his own work before restlessly lifting his head again, regarding Avila as if he had just noticed her.

“What are you still doing here, Avila? Your shift ended hours ago.”

“Yeah, but Lellid couldn’t make it,” she answered.

“You’re scheduled to oversee the transport to Outpost Gelia tomorrow. You need to be sharp. Go home and get some sleep,” he ordered.

Jaal smiled to himself. Evfra was not one to talk – he had been here since the earliest hours of the morning, and probably would stay until after Jaal was ready to fall asleep against a console. However, no one dared to point out things like that when Evfra’s disapproving gaze weighed on them.

“Alright,” Avila said, lifting her hands in defence. “I’ll be on my way. I don’t think I’m really getting much done, anyway. Maybe Jaal has better luck.”

She patted Jaal’s shoulder before she turned around and waved to a couple of her friends. Despite the late hour, the Resistance headquarters were busy as ever. Day and night cycles on the angaran worlds were not synchronised and Resistance missions ran all around the clock, anyway, and always produced results one way or another: either data to study, new leads to follow, or condolences to send to families.

Leaning over the schematics of the kett structure again, Jaal saw Evfra wipe his brow from the corner of his eyes. He stabbed at the touch screen for a moment before he pushed himself away from the console and wordlessly strode out of the room. There was always purpose to Evfra’s movements and he was usually in a hurry, but Jaal thought that this time it looked like he was fleeing and Jaal wondered what he so urgently needed to do in the weapons storage room, where he saw him vanish into.

Jaal told himself to focus on the images before him. Perhaps Evfra just needed some silence to think. The crowded main hub of the headquarters could get overwhelming.

He tried to put his confusion about Evfra’s sudden departure out of his mind until Davash approached him with a datapad.

“Where’s Evfra?” he asked. The question alone seemed to make him nervous.

“I think he went into the weapons storage.”

“Oh, well – I guess he doesn’t want to be disturbed with whatever he’s doing.”

Davash was young and impressionable and, like many, didn’t know how to take Evfra yet. Jaal conceded that Evfra was different from most angara, but if that was enough to scare Davash off, the Resistance was not the right place for him. Greater horrors awaited him than a sourly commander. Hopefully, he would grow.

Usually, Jaal would have told Davash to brave his fear and seek Evfra out himself. However, Jaal was looking for an excuse to check on Evfra right now. He held out his hand.

“I can give this to him if you want.”

“Perfect!” Davash said hastily, handing over his datapad and backing off before Jaal could change his mind. “Thank you!”

Jaal took a glance at the datapad. It was a routine report on the repair status of several shuttles in their main hangar, nothing Evfra had to be made aware of immediately, but Jaal could always claim he hadn’t read the report, only that someone had wanted Evfra to see it.

Few people had the codes to the weapons storage room, but Evfra had given them to Jaal after he had seen Jaal’s personalised rifle in action for the first time. “Just don’t take apart anything that you can’t put back together,” he’d told him that day. The storage room had been quite the playground at times and Jaal had noticed with satisfaction that his modded weapons tended to show up on the requisition lists for spec ops teams.

The doors slid apart. It was cool and quiet in the dark, windowless room, only emergency lighting shedding a blue gloom onto the crates and shelves. Jaal needed a moment to locate Evfra. He sat on the ground between two racks stacked with assault rifles, elbows leaning on his knees, head drooping between his shoulders. Despite the noise the door had made and Jaal not attempting to be quiet as he approached, he didn’t seem to notice him. His breathing was laboured.

Worry gripped Jaal, quickly and forcefully. The Resistance was, in the form it was now, for the first time ready to actually strike back against the kett, but still a fresh and fragile thing. Though no one said as much, everybody knew how much its continued success still hinged on Evfra himself staying alive. He had done his best to raise leaders under him, but no one came even close to projecting his authority yet. If he were seriously sick, if he would die, their entire people would be in peril. That was not to mention the fact that Jaal had grown very fond of Evfra as a man and losing him, knowing he would never again work his way through Evfra’s tough armour and coax a joke or a hint of a smile or a half-sentence of unguarded opinion from him, was a loss that would hit him hard.

Jaal wasn’t wearing his gloves and his fingertips brushed against the folds on Evfra’s head as he reached for his shoulder. Their skin connecting produced a sudden crackle and pop of electricity that sent a shock up his arm. Evfra looked just as startled as him as he winced, staring up at Jaal. His bioelectrical field seemed to be acting up without his permission – a dangerous sign.

“Evfra, you’re sick.”

“I know four of your mothers, Jaal, you can’t pretend to me that no one tried to teach you manners,” Evfra groused.

Jaal snapped his mouth shut. It _was_ very brazen to question anyone so bluntly about their health, but it was also plain to see that something was wrong.

“I apologise, but if you are unwell, you need my help more than my politeness.”

Evfra glowered, but did not argue. Jaal had seen Evfra himself send obviously sick or wounded Resistance members to the med bay or home before and while he had not shouted it across the hall, he had definitely not shied away from talking to them directly about their afflictions. Niceties needed to be set aside sometimes when time was short and the good of the group was at risk, every angara knew as much.

“I’m fine,” Evfra murmured, and since Jaal’s gaze obviously told of his disbelief, he added: “I’m not ill.”

“Then what is happening?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Maybe not, but you do seem to need assistance.”

Jaal had learned years ago that you had to be a little stubborn to get your way with Evfra. He was himself confident and appreciated it in others, which let Jaal know his boldness was not for show. People who were merely arrogant were usually more brittle.

Evfra took a deep breath. “It’s the heat,” he said grudgingly, not looking at Jaal.

Jaal stared at him. “You go into heat?”

“No, not anymore,” Evfra growled. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I have been on suppressors for years.” He let his head sink for a moment, exhaling. “But I was careless. I was warned that I would develop a resistance to them eventually.”

Jaal struggled to understand why Evfra looked so distraught. The heat was quite a beautiful thing. It only happened to rare angara and biologists could not say why, so myths and speculations had taken the place of facts, but many people were thoroughly fascinated by the idea of having or sharing one and Jaal would not exclude himself here. Sexuality was something most people spoke freely about, anyway. Certainly no one would have judged Evfra to the point that he had to hide in a storage room.

Then again, when did Evfra ever tell anyone about his personal life? The sketches of his past he had given were vague, just clear enough to speak of great pain and loss. He didn’t seem to have any confidantes or friends, let alone lovers. It might seem odd to Jaal, but it was not incongruent that he didn’t want to share the details of his urges with anyone here.

“Olvek must be able to help you if he gave you the suppressors,” Jaal suggested.

Evfra snorted.

“Olvek didn’t prescribe these suppressors. Nothing a capable doctor like him wants you to put in your body is strong enough to stop the heat. But I couldn’t afford the distraction.”

Jaal frowned. Even if Evfra was right that the heat would have taken him out from time to time, playing with his health was a great risk.

“Perhaps it is good that they failed, then. No more reason to take them. They might have put you in danger.”

Evfra said nothing, which was as good as an agreement. Instead, he shook his head and grabbed on to the edge of the weapons’ rack. When he stood, Jaal saw he was unsteady on his feet.

“I’m just stalling, sitting here. I hoped I was misinterpreting it, since it has been so long, but I’m not.” His fingers tightened around the edge as he directed a hesitant gaze at Jaal. “Can you help me get out of here?”

“Of course. What do you need?”

“Someone with a steadier voice than me to tell the others that I won’t be around for a day or two. I feel like I’d just create confusion right now, fear at worst.” His brows drew together. “I don’t think I can drive, either.”

“Go ahead and pick a speeder, I will join you.” Jaal smiled. “Though I probably should leave you here and force you to have to confess to Olvek.”

There was a twitch at the corner of Evfra’s mouth as he pushed past Jaal towards the door.

-

With the general reluctance to talk of sickness, Jaal did not need long to spin an excuse. Gathering Evfra’s lieutenants, he told them that Evfra was fine but ‘indisposed’ and since no one dared prod further, it seemed to stick that Evfra simply hadn’t wanted to put people in the awkward position of seeing him plainly ill.

Jaal found Evfra in a two-seater ground shuttle in the Resistance’s small hangar bay, stiffly packed in the passenger’s seat. He kept one wrist firmly pressed over his lap, but was angrily swiping on his uni-device, the ball-screen over his arm flickering.

“What’s wrong?” Jaal asked.

“I still have data to analyse, but I can’t remember where I put-” He broke off into a sound of annoyance and shut the uni-device off. “It’s useless. My head is too clouded to even find the folder. I won’t be able to do anything.”

As he sat next to him, Jaal thought he could feel the nervous energy sparking off him and with how his bioelectric field had reacted to touch, maybe it was no illusion. Every muscle in Evfra’s body seemed taut, every tendon stretched to breaking point.

“The Resistance can survive two days without you. You made it that strong,” Jaal reminded him.

“Still, for such an inane reason...”

“People say that heats are the ultimate expression of the angaran spirit.”

It made sense to Jaal. An emotion so strong, so undeniable, that it all but forced the person who experienced it to turn to another and share it through that – it seemed beautifully angaran.

Evfra shook his head. “Ill-fitting, then. I don’t think anyone considers me an embodiment of the angaran spirit.”

Jaal had to laugh.

“Maybe not,” he admitted, unable to stop himself from glancing down at Evfra’s lap before he turned his eyes back on the road.

He knew the way to the apartment complex in which Evfra lived, but only because Evfra and him had shared a speeder to go home sometimes and Jaal’s house was a bit further away from the headquarters, so he would let Evfra out before he drove on. Jaal had only ever gone as far as the curb before Evfra’s door, though.

“Is there someone you can call to make it easier?”

Heats were difficult to weather alone, that much was constant in every story about them. They would burn you up from inside and leave you weakened and with a gnawing hole in the pit of your stomach by the end if spent without help.

“No,” Evfra said simply.

That conversation was plainly over. Jaal did not try to pick it up again.

Aya looked beautiful as ever as the summer night fell with soft red and blue on the horizon. Though Jaal was partial to the wild jungles of Havarl, he could not but be impressed by Aya’s beauty ever anew, no matter that the amount of rules and bureaucrats to enforce them made it his least favourite planet to live on. Voeld was sometimes too harsh for him, being a child of warm, humid temperatures, though in that it had a wild beauty. He wondered if Evfra ever missed his frozen home world or if the memories had spoiled it entirely; if he could have been the guide that Jaal wanted to see the hidden side of Voeld its steadfast inhabitants did, or if he was blind to its merits now.

It was another question, like so many, which Jaal did not dare to ask him for fear of disturbing the fragile trust that they had established between them.

He parked the speeder outside of the apartment complex. Evfra swayed like a drunk man as he walked to the door and seemed to realise he had no right to complain when Jaal followed him up the stairs to make sure he arrived at his apartment at all. Only when he had managed to punch in the code in front of his door did Evfra turn around.

“I owe you my thanks,” he said sternly.

“No,” Jaal said. “Not for that. Is there anything else I can help with?”

“Unless you want to come in, no,” Evfra said flatly. “Good night, Jaal.”

“Would you let me?”

His own sudden, misplaced surge of bravery left Jaal himself briefly speechless. Evfra just stared at him and though that could be terrifying in its own right sometimes, Jaal did not make a move to turn down the stairs. If he had already let the most uncontrolled part of his head lead the conversation, the very least thing he could do was stand by it. He had a feeling Evfra would find that less pathetic than if he immediately cowered like a trained kaerkyn.

“Very funny. I am trying to hold on to my dignity, but you can’t expect me to say ‘no’ too many times in this state. I suggest you leave.”

It was an odd way to admonish him. It wasn’t even a rejection. Jaal swallowed.

“If you want to, why not say ‘yes’?” he asked.

Now Evfra looked truly confused. He seized Jaal up, but didn’t seem to know how to respond – perhaps didn’t have an argument.

“Are you serious?”

There was mostly curiosity in his voice now.

Jaal stepped into his space and into the apartment, backing Evfra into the wall. It was a movement without touch, one Evfra acquiesced to, like a step of a dance. They looked at each other, Jaal becoming aware of the feverish haze in Evfra’s eyes, and then Evfra reached past Jaal towards the door and let it slide shut with a hiss of displaced air.

Even as the door was closing, Jaal kissed him, taking him in his arms, entirely unable to pace himself. Evfra was still, almost suspended, until suddenly a shiver ran over his bioelectrical field and went through his limbs as well and he made a strangled noise, grabbing hard onto Jaal. Jaal could feel in his bruising strength, the urgency of his kiss, just how much self-control he’d employed up to this moment and even now Evfra was clinging to it, clawing at it as desperately as he was clasping him. It made Jaal feel like he was holding onto a live grenade.

Gently, Jaal dragged his hand down the ridges at the back of Evfra’s head, shifted the kiss into something softer and more languid. Evfra looked almost pained as he backed off, then yanked him close, and immediately eased his grip with a frown, struggling like he was trying to pull in two directions at once.

“Does this hurt?” Jaal asked.

He would admit that he only knew of heats from the sort of vids he’d hid from his mothers in the furthest recesses of his console. He doubted they had been too realistic.

Evfra pressed his lips into a tight line. “It’s intense. Not used to it anymore.”

His voice was clipped and breathless. They would have to take this painful edge off, Jaal thought, tugging Evfra’s body against his own. The contact seemed to relax him a little, at least. Evfra pressed his face against the crook of Jaal’s neck, held him so tightly it was almost painful. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he pushed him out of the hallway. They staggered into a sparsely furnished room with little in the way of personal belongings at least out in the open. Before Jaal had a chance to take a closer look, Evfra threw him down on the bed that stood against the far wall.

He was halfway on him when something like recognition entered his expression again and he stopped himself dead, frowning.

“I didn’t mean-”

Jaal laughed, elated. If someone had told him this morning that Evfra would haul him into his bed today because he was so eager to tear his clothes off, he would have wondered if they’d had a glimpse of Jaal’s private fantasies.

“Don’t apologise,” he rumbled, pulling Evfra towards him again.

His unspoken permission finally snapped the splintered remains of Evfra’s composure. Evfra crashed their mouths together and as he did climbed on to Jaal’s hips, rubbing his ass against Jaal’s half-hard cock, which filled with a rush at the beautifully shameless gesture. Jaal gripped his hips, encouraging the movement, running his hands down to his strong thighs and up his broad back. He could feel Evfra’s power brimming underneath his hands.

Evfra bouncing in his lap and nibbling at his lips could only be endured so long until the cloth between them seemed like an intolerable barrier. Jaal tried to peel Evfra off of him, which earned him a wordless growl that made him laugh again.

“We have to undress,” he reminded him.

Evfra looked viscerally angry with the prospect, but managed to scrape together enough presence of mind to reluctantly back off of him. As he did, Jaal quickly struggled out of his suit and put it on a pile on the floor with his rofjinn. Evfra’s current lack of coordination left him fumbling with his own clothes and Jaal used the chance to dart into the bathroom. Angaran skin dried easily and so every angara he knew had at least one or two bottles of oil for the purpose of treating it and Evfra was no exception. In a pinch, it made for perfectly serviceable lube – Jaal had personal experience.

He returned as Evfra had just rid himself of his underwear. When he spotted Jaal, he reached out for him, grasping him firmly by the wrist.

“Don’t worry, I was not running,” Jaal said, chuckling, urging Evfra gently towards the bed before he embraced him.

Running his hands down Evfra’s body, he felt a multitude of scars. Nowadays, he would only lead large raids on key targets, as the Resistance needed him at the headquarters and getting killed playing the hero would have been an ill tactic for a leader who was still so instrumental. Under his clothes, however, showed the years in which he had fought his way up to the position he was in now and gathered respect one battle at a time: twisted burn marks from kett plasma weapons, thin stripes left by blades, ragged lines matching those on his face where claws had marred his flesh. He was so handsome Jaal could have simply looked at him all evening.

Though Evfra’s breath sped at his exploration and he shivered beautifully under his hands as he grabbed at Jaal, it seemed that this was too slow for his current needs. Jaal was unceremoniously turned and slapped on his back once more and found his hips thrusting up against Evfra’s as he climbed over him, enthralled by Evfra’s forceful need.

“Give me a second,” Jaal murmured, fumbling clumsily with the cap of the bottle before he spread the oil over his hand, gritting his teeth as he touched his own aching cock, then reached around Evfra to drag his fingers over his entrance, a quick, sloppy movement.

Evfra deigned to let him finish, but as soon as Jaal lifted his hand, Evfra’s was on his cock, squeezing the base of it with the same imperative strength with which he had directed him up to now. Jaal groaned, eyes falling shut and then opening wide as Evfra let go and impaled himself on him to the hilt with one swift movement.

“Evfra...”

His hands flew to Evfra’s sides to stop him if necessary, but from the needy look in Evfra’s eyes, his quiet panting and his twitching cock, he could see that Evfra had not taken more than he could handle. One hand planted firmly on Jaal’s chest and the other next to his head, Evfra raised his backside and plunged down on him again, setting an unrelenting pace that left no second to breathe. Jaal moaned, momentarily unable to do more than just hold on to him, feel the rhythm of his muscles working under his palms. It was like a summer storm blowing him down, keeping him pinned, and Jaal let it wash over him, moved with its strength, his bliss only disturbed by the thought that it might be a tad embarrassing if he came before Evfra, who was halfway mad with lust.

Thankfully, for all his insistent power, Evfra’s body was still susceptible to his touch. When Jaal ran his hands up his torso and let his hips move freely to meet him, Evfra shook as a sudden bout of tensions released and he fell forward, fell apart. Jaal pulled him down by his shoulders to kiss him and had not yet had a chance to even touch his cock when Evfra came over his chest. Jaal rode his orgasm, greedy and desperate, and spent himself inside Evfra while still tasting Evfra’s mouth.

After a long moment of catching his breath, Evfra braced himself on Jaal’s chest with one arm, on his face the look of one who had woken up unhappily and dead tired in the middle of the night. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Well, that was degrading,” he muttered.

Jaal, still floating on clouds, felt the soft ground disappear and plummeted.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Evfra shook his head. “Of course not,” he said curtly, though he raised his head then to look Jaal in the eyes. “I was not complaining about you. You did as well as one could, considering my behaviour.”

Though Jaal still thought it regrettable that Evfra was so uncomfortable with the heat, he found himself giddy with the compliment. Smiling, he let his thumbs drift over Evfra’s side, finally taking the time to explore a scar on his ribcage that Evfra had distracted him from by pouncing, and a patch of smooth, hale skin on the other side.

“I would brag of it, but I think people would mock me. What a hardship to be wanted by a handsome man that half of all angara venerate.”

“You have a mouth full of root syrup,” Evfra said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jaal had to grin at the old Voeld saying. Perhaps Evfra called him a flatterer, but it seemed knowing that Jaal had not found him ridiculous soothed his pride.

“Oh, I’m fine with that. That rialan root syrup tastes rather mild to people from worlds with ripe summer fruit, you know? It’s only you from Voeld who think it’s so sweet.”

“Must be our more discerning taste,” Evfra said dryly, though not without a trace of amusement.

“I think you like the flavour.”

Jaal put a hand on the back of Evfra’s head, a little hesitant now that Evfra was not burning up with the heat anymore, but Evfra followed the invitation and kissed him again. After the storm that had come before, these kisses were refreshing like the cool, clear air after the rain. Jaal let them linger even as he took Evfra in his arms and turned him on his back. He’d only meant to give himself some leverage and take Evfra out of the crouched position on top of him, but Evfra’s legs tightened reflexively around his hips, then released quickly as Evfra looked up, flustered and somewhat sheepish. Jaal could not help but chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I will stay here if you want,” he murmured, pushing his hips against him, watching a ripple go through the muscles of Evfra’s stomach.

“I can feel you are not lying.”

Already surrounded by the heat of him, with a brimming want in the pit of his stomach, Jaal had not even noticed that he was hard again. With Evfra leaning into his every touch, however, Evfra’s sarcasm lost its edge. Jaal simply pushed his hips forward again and listened with joy to the low rumble in Evfra’s throat.

“It is your fault,” he said quietly. “Just imagine what effect you have on me if I am more affected than someone in the throes of the heat.”

Evfra scoffed, but he tugged Jaal against his chest, hooked a leg around his thigh, holding him as close as he could with all his limbs.

“You should tell others your theory that I am this seductive creature. People need to laugh about _something_ these days,” he muttered. “Most duck when I look at them.”

Jaal grinned, moving against him in a slow rhythm. It was the end of a long day and with the first fire tempered, they could afford to take their time now. Jaal melted all too easily into Evfra’s tight embrace.

“That doesn’t stop it. Authority has its own allure.”

“Then your attraction must be fading.”

Exhaustion had softened Evfra’s voice already and the downward twist of his lips looked briefly disappointed.

Jaal opened his mouth to answer, but then decided otherwise and grabbed Evfra’s hips instead, putting his back into this next thrusts. Evfra’s thighs twitched around him.

“What do you think, Evfra?” he asked. “Is it?”

Evfra squirmed to meet his cock. “Point taken,” he rumbled.

“I do hope it’s not _just_ the heat making you keep me here,” Jaal said, before he could stop himself. The tone had come out as teasing, at least, but he was always so bad at hiding the truth, perhaps because he had never known why he should. Here he did, though. When a distrustful animal ate out of your hand for the first time, you did not try to scratch it behind the ears without expecting to get bit.

Evfra scoffed. “Do you need reassurance of your charms? Most of recruits on their first Vesaal here traipse after you lovesick, Jaal.”

“You are hardly a half-grown man impressed with my rifle.”

Their attention was flattering and Jaal had had his adventures, but this was not the same.

“Not half-grown, no, but I like your rifle.”

Evfra just raised his brows at him as he tightened his muscles around Jaal’s cock and Jaal had to laugh, closing him back into his arms. His stomach fluttered. They were just words, he reminded himself, silly nothings, but it was hard to believe when Evfra’s hands caressed him more gently than one would think Evfra capable of. Jaal wondered if he could hope.

Jaal came first this time, muttering Evfra’s name. Evfra followed when Jaal stroked his cock firmly, a half-pained sigh escaping him. He shuddered when Jaal did not stop after he had come, too fascinated by the exhausted want on Evfra’s face.

“Give me a moment,” he murmured, grasping Jaal’s wrist.

“Maybe,” Jaal said, smiling, flicking his thumb over the head, making Evfra huff and wince.

“Who knew you could be cruel?”

“I have my moments.”

Jaal kissed him and squeezed him once more before he relented. Evfra’s eyes drifted close, but his hand was still holding Jaal’s arm, the other resting on his back, aimlessly petting the ridge where the folds from his head joined his spine, a sensitive spot Evfra treated with just enough pressure, making Jaal want to purr. Since Evfra made no move to kick him off, he rested comfortably against him until Evfra’s hand stopped moving. From his heavy, calm breath, Jaal knew he was asleep.

-

Eventually, Jaal had gotten up, grabbed a damp towel to clean them and switched on his uni-device to check on the night shift at headquarters. When he sat down on the bed to do this, Evfra turned towards him and Jaal was about to apologise for waking him when he noticed Evfra’s eyes had already closed again after he’d followed the warmth of Jaal’s body, Evfra’s forehead now leaning against Jaal’s thigh, his arm across his legs. The smile could not be wiped from Jaal’s face even as he scrolled through tedious and depressing reports alike.

Evfra startled awake an hour later, when Jaal sat contentedly leaning against the wall, resting his hand on Evfra’s back. He lifted it when Evfra sat up, shaking his head like a dazed animal.

“Excuse me,” he muttered.

“It was a long day,” Jaal pointed out.

They all were for Evfra and then the heat had burned the candle from the other end. No wonder he would succumb eventually.

Evfra reached for the uni-device on the box next to his bed, checking for priority messages with a glance.

“I already contacted Mara and Tivert,” Jaal said. “Things are quiet – as quiet as they can be.”

Lowering his uni-device, Evfra levelled an unreadable gaze at him. Jaal wondered for a moment if he would be chided for overreaching, but Evfra only said: “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Are you feeling better?”

“For now. You should leave soon if you don’t want me crawling all over you anymore, though. This can take up to two days at its worst.”

“Maybe I will leave for a bit tomorrow, take a look around the base. You’ll get antsy not knowing what is happening,” Jaal said with a quirk to his lips. “But if you’ll still have me...”

“Stay as long as you like. I may not have made the decision to invite you in with my head, but evidently I didn’t choose badly.”

It could have been another dirty joke, but there was something thoughtful in Evfra’s voice that made Jaal perk up. He bit his tongue, reminded himself it was too early to ask whether Evfra’s heart had been involved at all. He kissed Evfra, though, and it was lingering and deep and Evfra looked flushed after. Jaal could not keep himself from beaming.

“Well, as long as I am master over my senses... I dragged you in here after a long shift and haven’t even fed you yet,” Evfra muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Let me fix that.”

“I can help,” Jaal offered, sitting straight.

Evfra waved him off. “It won’t take long.”

The kitchen was just an open niche in the right wall with no door separating it. Jaal leaned back again and watched Evfra move naked around the space, pulling food paste containers and slightly overripe vegetables out of the freezing unit. He grabbed a knife out of a cupboard and, after rinsing the vegetables, placed them down and cut them with the trained, rapid precision of habit.

“What?” Evfra asked eventually, after looking up from the thin, even slices and dice he’d created and becoming aware of Jaal’s eyes on him.

“It’s fascinating to see that someone who looks so handsome leading troops is just as appealing working in a kitchen.”

Evfra snorted, but he stilled the knife for a moment.

“Would you believe I was a house husband for half a year at one point?”

“You were?”

Jaal wasn’t sure what he was asking: whether Evfra was serious, or whether he really had just given him a whole image, a detail of his past, which he was so tight-lipped about most people barely knew which daar he came from these days.

“Yes. I had complications with an injury. I was restless and practiced – I won’t bore you with the details, but I can promise that at least my food will be edible.”

“Please do,” Jaal answered very honestly. He’d be happy to know any shred Evfra would feel comfortable sharing, and happier to know it was him he was trusting with it.

Evfra shook his head and when he turned it away to reach into the spice rack, Jaal thought he had caught a brief glimpse of the smile he was hiding with the movement.

“It’s not that interesting,” Evfra said, “but if you insist.”


End file.
